Recently, a vehicle incorporating a power storage device (such as a secondary battery or a capacitor) and running with drive force generated from electric power stored in the power storage device has attracted attention as an environmentally friendly vehicle. Such a vehicle includes, for example, an electric car, a hybrid car, a fuel cell car, and the like. A technique for charging the power storage device mounted on such a vehicle with a commercial power supply high in power generation efficiency has been proposed.
Among hybrid vehicles, as in the case of electric cars, a vehicle in which a power storage device mounted thereon can be charged by a power supply outside the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as an “external power supply”) has been known. For example, what is called a “plug-in hybrid vehicle” in which a power storage device can be charged by a power supply in a general household by connecting a power outlet provided in a house and a charge port provided in the vehicle to each other through a charge cable has been known. Improvement in fuel efficiency of a hybrid car can thus be expected.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-225587 (PTL 1) discloses a configuration in an electrically powered vehicle incorporating a power storage device that can be charged with an external power supply, in which a control device for external charging is separate from a control device for controlling a vehicle drive system (MG-ECU) and a control device for controlling a battery (a battery ECU).